Improvement in fare-boxes



UNITED STATES PATENT OEE1oE THOMAS KEEOH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN FARE-BOXES.

l .To all whom it may concern:

Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 158,846, dated January 19, 1875; application tile November 30, 1874.

Be it known that I, THOMAS KEEcH, of New York city, in the county of New York, in the State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Fare-Boxes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Previous to my invention a great variety of devices have been suggested as means for checking the receipts of conductors on horsecars, among which have been boxes adapted to be carried on the person of the conductor, and into which the fare was deposited, systems of trip-tickets, and punches for perforatlng the same with registering devices for indicatin g the number of times the punch may have been used, &c.

My invention relates toa system in which a box or receptacle, adapted to be Worn by the conductor, is used in connection with checks, which are to be deposited therein; and my invention consists in having the fare box or receptacle so positively secured or locked about the body or person of the wearer as to'et'tectually prevent the possibility of any fraudulent shifting or changing of the box during the absence ofthe conductor from the office at which is kept the key, by the use of which alone the box can be removed.

'lo enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to more fully explain the same,referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure l is a front elevation of my improved apparatus, illustrated as applied to the person of a oar-conductor.' Fig. 2 is a back view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section, (increased soale,) showing the internal arrangement and detail construction of the check-reeeptacle.

1n the several figures the same part will be found designated by the same letter of reference.'

A is the check receptacle or box, which is confined to the body of the person by whom it is to be carried by straps B O D E. One of these straps, B, is in the form of an endless band, and passes through staples f on the box A, and serves to suspend said box about the person of the wearer, as shown. Another of same place (at the back of the person) by a metal loop, g, through the eye of which passes the hasp lt of a lock, Gr, as clearly shown. The suspending-strap B is made adjustable or distensible at i, so that the apparatus may be adjusted to suit the height of the person, and the elevation (on the person) at which it may be desired to carry the box, while the straps O D .E are provided with numerous holes or slots, into any of which the loop g may be put, according to the size of the wearer of the apparatus. The peculiar construction of the box A is best illustrated at Fig. 3, where, it will be seen, said box has a lid or cover, m, in which is out or formed a slot of the proper size and shape to permit `the easy depositing in said box of fare-checks, which will be presently described. On the inner face of the lid m is a sort of chute, l, and on the inside of the body of said box A is a projection or safety deector, o, which so underlies the chute Z as to effectually prevent the extraction from said fare-box surreptitiously of any of the contained checks. At the bottom of the box is formed a money-compartment, 10, which is closed by a hinged cover-piece, q, and which is used for the receipt of the money to be turned in, as will be presently explained. This moneycompartment' is kept closed by any suitable catch, r; but the check receptacle or main compartment of the box A is locked by a lock, I, the key of which is held, of course, at the office of the employing company.

The checks which I propose to use may be made of sheet metal or other material, of any desired size, shape, and design or configuration, and should be so marked or stamped as to indicate fares of the different values common to the railroad companies, and the half rate fares, as illustrated at Figs. l, 2, 3, 4L in the drawings, the checks marked 5 6 8 illustrating the 5, 6, and 8 cent fares, and the one marked half -fare denoting the amount collected for a child passenger.

In practicing my invention, the following modus operandi is to be observed: The conductor, having the boxA placed on his person by the straps, as illustrated, and there inextricably secured by the lock Gr, the key of which is kept at the office of the railroad company, and being supplied with a given quantity of checks, (l 2 3 4,) of which record is kept, collects the requisite fare from each passenger, giving to each passenger a check or checks corresponding to the amount of money collected from said passenger, and said passen ger deposits the check or checks so received from the conductor in the check-box A. When the conductor turns in 7 his fares, the amount of money he gives in must correspond with the amount represented by all the checks found in the box A, when its contents shall ,be extracted by the custodian of the key of said box.

Upon the front or face of box (and on the face of the belt-strap E) are notices to the passengers (see drawings, Fig. l) instructing them to deposit their checks in the box A; and in the car should be posted proper cards or notices to indica-te, in the usual manner, to the traveling public the working or plan of the system described.

The locks by which the box A is made secure against the extraction of its contents, and by which said box is secured to the person of the wearer, should, of course, be such as cannot be readily picked, and may, like the other parts, be ofsuch pattern and material as may be deemed best.

It will be seen that the combination and arrangement of the straps B C D E with each other and the check-box A are such that it is physically impossible for the person on whom the apparatus is locked to either disengage the box from the straps or the straps from his person, and that therefore it is utterly impossible to etfect any fraudulent substitution of check-box.

As the checks given out by the conductor have to be accounted for by him, he will be apt to see that no passenger fails to deposit his check in the box, and no discrepancy can occur between the amount of money turned in and that collected Without immediate detection by the officer of the company, because both the number of unused checks turned in, as well as the number in the box, serve to indicate the number of fares collected.

Having so fully described my invention that those skilled can make and use it, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, with the receptacle carried by the conductor for the receipt of fare or fare-checks, of the means by which said receptacle is locked about and inextricably secured to the body of the carrier, substantially in the manner and forl the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal.

THOMAS KEECH.

In presence of J. N. MCINTIRE, JACOB FELBEL. 

